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| Louise Anna Turpin and David Allen Turpin |
The 13 California siblings who police say were starved and chained to beds by their parents rarely left their dishevelled house and, when they did, they appeared small and pale and acted strangely, neighbours said.
David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested on Sunday and each charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment after a 17-year-old, emaciated girl escaped their house in Perris, about 70 miles (115 km) east of Los Angeles and called police, the Riverside County Sheriffโs Office said on Monday.
Police said in a statement that they found several of the coupleโs 13 children, ranging in age from 2 to 29, โshackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundingsโ.
โThe victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty,โ it said.
Kimberly Milligan, 50, who lives across the street from the family, told Reuters that she only saw the infant in the motherโs arms and three other children since she moved in across the street two years ago, describing them as small and pale.
โWhy donโt we ever see the kids?โ Milligan said. โIn hindsight, we would have never thought this, but there were red flags. You never donโt hear or see nine kids.โ
Two years ago, while walking around the neighborhood admiring Christmas lights and decorations, Milligan said she encountered three of the Turpin children and complimented them on the manger with a baby Jesus that they had outside their home. She said the children froze if by doing so they could become invisible.
โ20-year-olds never act like that,โ she said. โThey didnโt want to have a social conversation.โ
